Liquid crystal display with dielectric layer having at least two openings corresponding to each picture element and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A liquid crystal display device includes a substrate having one or more electrodes formed onto one major surface thereof. The substrate and electrodes are then coated with a layer of a dielectric material through which is formed a plurality of openings or vias. Into the openings is disposed a layer of a light influencing material, such as a color filter medium, a liquid crystal material, or an alignment material. In the embodiment in which the light influencing material is a liquid crystal material, it is possible to put one or more different liquid crystal materials into each opening. This allows two adjacent openings to project light of a substantially different character, based on the differing material disposed in each opening. 
     A method for forming a liquid crystal device such as that described above includes the step of providing a liquid crystal display substrate, and forming at least one, and preferably a plurality of electrodes on a surface thereof. Thereafter, a layer of dielectric material is formed onto the surface of the electrodes and substrate. The dielectric material is the treated, as by a laser, to form a plurality of holes or openings therein. Into the openings is disposed the light influencing material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of Ser. No. 09/200,571, to Yaniv,entitled Liquid Crystal Display and Method of Making Same, filed Nov.27, 1998.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates in general to a light influencing display device,and more particularly to a liquid crystal device formed by creating aplurality of cavities or openings in a material layer, and filling saidopenings with one or more liquid crystal materials.

BACKGROUND

Flat panel display devices are increasingly gaining market acceptancefor a variety of different applications. For example, active matrixliquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) have found widespread use as the videomonitors in laptop computers, video cameras, and avionic navigationmodules, to name a few. Other types of displays, such aselectroluminescent (EL) and field emissive displays (FEDs) are also usedin a variety of industrial and consumer applications. The advantage ofeach of these types of devices resides in the fact that they are allsubstantially flat, particularly as compared to the cathode ray tubethat has been the standard for the past fifty years.

In the AMLCD, the elements which cause the desired opticalcharacteristic are typically sandwiched between a pair of thin glassplates. These elements include first and second patterned electrodes forapplying an electrical field to liquid crystal (LC) material disposedtherebetween. Each pair of oppositely disposed patterned electrodesdefine a single picture element or pixel. The liquid crystal materialdisposed between the electrodes is typically of a single type, such astwisted nematic (TN), supertwist nematic (STN), chiral smectic andothers. The applications of an electric field to the LC material causesit to change its orientation from a first condition to a secondcondition, for example from transparent to opaque. However, in order tocontrol the orientation of the liquid crystals, it is necessary toprovide numerous other optical elements, such as polarizers andalignment layers. A conventional AMLCD is described in, for example,U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,666,252; 4,715,685 and 5,061,040, all to Yaniv, et al,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Another type of display is the conventional passive liquid crystaldisplay in which many of the additional layers and witching elementsrequired for AMLCDs are not needed. For example, a standard passivedisplay will typically include a layer of LC material disposed betweenthe electrodes, which are themselves disposed on opposing substrates.While being much simpler to fabricate than AMLCDs and other displaydevices, they possess several limitations which have hindered uptake inthe marketplace. For example, these devices, due to their relativelyslow response time, are incapable of displaying information at videorates.

Another major limitation of the passive display is the difficultyassociated with fabricating full color displays. Current technologyrequires the use of three discrete displays, one stacked atop theothers, and each display dedicated to a particular color, e.g., red,green or blue. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to use threedifferent twisted nematic liquid crystal materials matched according tothe formula:

dΔε=nλ

Where:

d=spacing between the discrete displays;

Δε=is dielectric anisotropy

n=is an integer

λ=wavelength of light (i.e., color) of the display.

This matching of displays is presently done by using different spacing(d) for each color, with the result being difficulty in manufacturingand low yield. Manufacturing problems and low yield are exacerbated bythe need for spacers to be disposed in the displays to maintain properspacing between the opposing display substrates. The chance forinappropriate spacing mounts as additional displays are mounted one atopanother.

Other manufacturing problems commonly associated with conventionalpassive LCDs relate to uniform flow through of the LC material betweenthe display substrates, and high likelihood of contaminating an entiredisplay (rendering it useless) from the flow of but a single contaminantinto the LC material. These problems are particularly acute in STN andsmectic chiral display devices.

Accordingly there exists a need to provide a new type of display devicethat addresses the needs of the marketplace for a low cost reliable LCDdevice that is free from the problems inherent in the prior art Such adevice should be relatively easy to manufacture, provide highmanufacturing yields, demonstrate high reliability, be low cost, andtake advantage of currently available manufacturing infrastructure. Thisdevice should also be able to provide full color, dynamic viewing angle,and present a low profile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a liquid crystal display device comprisinga first substrate having first and second major surfaces, and having atleast one electrode formed on one of said major surfaces. Formed atopsaid electrode is a layer of a dielectric material, said layer ofdielectric material having a plurality of opening formed therein. Intoeach opening is formed or deposited a layer of a light influencingmaterial. A second substrate is disposed atop said layer of dielectricmaterial.

In a second embodiment, a liquid crystal display device comprises afirst display substrate having first and second major surfaces, saidsubstrate having a plurality of display electrodes formed on one of saidmajor surfaces. A layer of a dielectric material is disposed over saidplurality of display electrodes, said dielectric layer having aplurality of openings formed therein, at least one such opening beingformed over each said display electrode. A layer of liquid crystalmaterial disposed in each of said openings.

The invention also contemplates a method of fabricating a liquid crystaldisplay device comprising the steps of providing a substantiallytransparent substrate having at least one electrode formed on a surfacethereof. Thereafter, a layer of a dielectric material is disposed onsaid substantially transparent substrate and said at least oneelectrode. An opening or openings is then formed through said layer ofdielectric material. Finally, a layer of a light influencing material isdisposed in each said opening, and a second substrate is provided atopsaid layer of dielectric material.

These and other advantages of the instant invention will be appreciatedfrom a perusal of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, cross-sectional view from the side of a liquidcrystal display in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a single picture element (pixel) in accordance withthe invention; and

FIG. 3 is a view of a second pixel in accordance with the instantinvention

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a liquid crystaldisplay device in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of a liquid crystaldisplay device in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 6 is a view of a single liquid crystal picture element in a displayas illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5; and

FIGS. 7 through 11 illustrate a series of steps involved in thefabrication of a liquid crystal display device in accordance with theinstant invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thefollowing description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in whichlike reference numerals are carried forward.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated therein a perspective,cross sectional view taken along the side of a liquid crystal display(LCD) 10, in accordance with the instant invention. The LCD 10 includesfirst and second display substrates 14 and 16 arranged in spaced,parallel relationship to one another. The substrates 14 and 16 arepreferably fabricated from one of a number of known materials in theart, examples including a series of display glasses manufactured byCorning, among others. Other types of glasses, plastics, ceramics andpolymers may also be advantageously employed. Indeed, transparentplastics may be advantageously employed for purposes of making flexibledisplay devices.

Substrate 14 has first and second major surfaces 15 and 17, surface 15being disposed towards substrate 16. Disposed on surface 15 of substrate14 is a series of disposed layers of electrically conductive material18, 20, 22 and 24. The layers of electrically conductive material may beeither transparent or opaque, depending on the nature of the display.For example, if the display device is intended to be used in atransmissive mode, i.e., with a backlight, then the layers ofelectrically conductive material are preferably substantiallytransparent, and may be fabricated from a transparent conductive oxidematerial selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, tin oxide,indium tin oxide, and other commonly known transparent conductive oxidematerials.

Alternatively, the display may be used in the reflective mode in whichambiant light enters the display, and reflects off of a back reflectorin the display. In such a case, the layers of conductive material may befabricated of thin metal films such as silver, gold, copper, aluminum,tin and combinations thereof. Alternatively, doped semiconductormaterials, and any of a host of other materials which may besubstantially reflective and electrically conductive may be used. Layers18, 20, 22, and 24 comprise the first substrate electrodes for display10. It is to be noted that while FIG. 1 illustrates the display withonly four first display substrate electrodes, the invention is not solimited. Indeed, the display 10 may comprise any number of electrodesarranged in any fashion.

Disposed upon electrically conductive layers 18, 20, 22 and 24, andindeed over the entire surface 15 of substrate 14 is a layer of adielectric material 30. The purpose of the layer of dielectric materialis many fold, and includes, but is not limited to, uniformly spacing theelectrodes on the first substrate from those on the second substrate,and electrically insulating such electrodes from one another. The layerof dielectric material may be formed by depositing any of a number ofdifferent materials, either organic or inorganic. Examples of the typesof material which may be used in forming layer 30 include any organic orinorganic dielectric material, polymers including polyimides, and othermaterials such as silicon oxides and silicon nitrides, and combinationsthereof. The layer of dielectric material will have a thickness whichvaries depending upon the particular material used, though is typicallyin the range of between 1 and 20 microns thick, and preferably between 5and 10 microns thick.

Formed through said layer of dielectric material is a plurality ofopenings or vias, for example 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 and 50.Note that while only ten vias or openings are identified, the displaymay comprise many, many more. Note also that while FIG. 1 shows the viasformed over both the substrate and the substrate electrode, the openingsmay in fact be limited to over the electrodes only. The location of theopenings is easily controlled by common manufacturing techniques. Forexample, conventional photolithography allows for resolution on thelevel of Angstroms. Likewise, laser ablation is capable of submicronresolution. Accordingly, both of these techniques are acceptable for theformation of the vias, as are a number of other techniques known in thesemiconductor fabrication industry. In practice, the size of theopenings will vary depending upon, for example the resolution of thedisplay desired, or the media disposed into the openings. Each of thesewill be elaborated upon hereinbelow. However, the diameter of theopenings will typically vary between 2 and 100 micrometers, and ispreferably in the range of 2 and 30 microns.

As noted above, any number of different media may be disposed into theopenings. For example, and as noted above, in the context of a passivedisplay, three different displays must be stacked one atop the other inorder to provide a full color display, owing to the need to use threedifferent types of liquid crystal material, each tuned to a differentcolor. Using conventional ink jet technology, it is possible to filleach opening with a different LC material. Accordingly, and as anexample, openings 32, 34, 36 may be filled with a first liquid crystalmaterial matched for a red color, openings 38, 40, 42 may be filled witha liquid crystal material matched for a green color, and openings 44,46and 48 may be filled with a liquid crystal material matched for a bluecolor. Alternatively, and again using ink jet technology, differenttypes of liquid crystal material may be disposed into the openings so asto create other optical effects, examples of which include nematic,smectic, cholesteric, chiral smectic, chiral nematic, polymer dispersedliquid crystal, polymer stabilized cholesteric textured, andcombinations thereof. The liquid crystal material may be one of thematerials as described hereinabove.

In an alternative embodiment, the openings may be filled with materialsother than the liquid crystal material. For example, each opening may befilled with one of a selection of materials used for the alignment layerof a conventional liquid crystal display. In a conventional display,only a single alignment layer is used, resulting in but a single opticaleffect. Using different types of alignment materials in differentopenings will allow for differing optical effects over the face of thedisplay, and indeed within each pixel. Examples of these optical effectsinclude color, polarization, columation, alignment, and viewing angle toname but a few. The openings may also, or alternatively be filled withlayers of a polarizing material. It is to be understood that thesealternatives are not mutually exclusive: With a sufficiently thick layerof dielectric material, a layer of both, for example, liquid crystalmaterial followed by a layer of polarizing material may be disposed ineach opening. As alignment materials have been discussed herein, it isto be noted that the layer of dielectric material may serve the furtherfunction of providing the alignment for the liquid crystal material. Forexample, the layer of dielectric material, regardless of any otherfunction, could also possess qualities necessary to induce adjacentliquid crystal material to align in a desired fashion upon applicationof an electrical field.

Thereafter, regardless of the nature of the materials disposed into theopenings, the second substrate, having a plurality of second substrateelectrodes formed thereon, is disposed over and in contact with thelayer of dielectric material. It is to me noted that if the openings arefilled with polarizing or alignment materials, then a layer of liquidcrystal material is disposed over layer 30 and adjacent substrate 16with electrodes 60, 62, 64. Note that in the embodiment of FIG. 1, theelectrodes of the first substrate and those of the second substrate arearranged in perpendicular fashion so as to define a plurality ofcrossover points. Each crossover point defines a picture element whichis operated by the application of an electrical charge to the liquidcrystal material disposed between the two electrodes, regardless ofwhether the liquid crystal material is in the openings between theelectrodes, or some other material (or materials) are in the openings,and the liquid crystal material is disposed thereover.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 it is to be noted that each pixel createdat each crossover point may include one or more openings in the layer ofdielectric material between the electrodes of the first and secondsubstrates. For example, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the layer ofdielectric material includes but a single opening 70 formed therein, andarranged at exactly the intersection of electrodes 72 and 74.Alternatively, each crossover point may include a plurality of openingsin the dielectric layer. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the crossover pointof electrodes 72 and 74 includes 20 openings arranged in a matrix of 4by 5. Note that the manufacturing techniques identified above willeasily allow this type of precision in the manufacturing process. Thenumber and arrangement of the openings at each pixel will depend on thetype of material to be disposed therein, and the desired purpose of thedisplay.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is illustrated therein,respectively, a perspective and top plan view of a second embodiment ofa liquid crystal display device in accordance with the instantinvention. The display device 100 includes first and second substrates102 and 104, which may be fabricated of materials such as thosedescribed hereinabove with respect to FIG. 1. Disposed on each ofsubstrates 102 and 104 is a layer of a conductive material 106 and 108respectively, and which may be fabricated of the conductive materialsdescribed above with respect to FIG. 1. In a preferred embodiment, theconductive layers 106 and 108 are fabricated of a transparent conductivematerial, such as a transparent conductive oxide. One preferredtransparent conductive oxide commonly employed in the field is indiumtin oxide (ITO), which may be advantageously used herein. The thicknessof the layer of ITO is as described above, and is well known to those ofordinary skill in the art.

Thereafter, disposed atop layer 106 is a patterned layer of aninsulating material, dielectric material, either fabricated ofdielectric materials as described hereinabove, or such other materialsas are known in the art As noted the layer is patterned so as to form aseries of elongated electrically insulating strips 110, 112, and 114.The insulating strips are provided to electrically insulate the layer ofelectrically conductive material 106 from a series of electricallyconductive electrodes 116, 118 and 120 disposed thereon. The electrodes116, 118 and 120 are preferably formed of electrically conductivematerials such as those described hereinabove with respect to FIG. 1,which are then patterned to the desired shape and thickness, both ofwhich are known to ordinarily skilled routineers in the liquid crystaldisplay art.

Disposed around and atop electrically conductive layers 116, 118, and120, and indeed over the entire surface layer 106 is a layer of adielectric material 122. The purpose of the layer of dielectric materialis many fold, and includes, but is not limited to, uniformly spacing thefirst substrate 102 (and all the associated display elements disposedthereon) from the second substrate 104, and electrically insulating suchelectrodes 116, 118 and 120 from the layer of electrically conductivematerial 108 disposed on substrate 104. The layer of dielectric materialmay be formed by depositing any of a number of different materials,either organic or inorganic. Examples of the types of material which maybe used in forming layer 122 include those materials describedhereinabove with respect to the layer of dielectric material. The layerof dielectric material will have a thickness which varies depending uponthe particular material used, though is typically within the rangesdescribed above.

Formed through said layer of dielectric material is a plurality ofopenings or vias, for example 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, and 134. Notethat while only six vias or openings are identified, the display maycomprise many, many more. The location of the openings is easilycontrolled by common manufacturing techniques. For example, conventionalphotolithography allows for resolution on the level of Angstroms.Likewise, laser ablation is capable of sub-micron resolution.Accordingly, both of these techniques are acceptable for the formationof the vias, as are a number of other techniques known in thesemiconductor fabrication industry. In practice, the size of theopenings will vary depending upon, for example the resolution of thedisplay desired, or the media disposed into the openings. The diameterof the openings are typically as set forth above. As noted above, anynumber of different media may be disposed into the openings. Using, forexample, conventional ink jet technology, it is possible to fill eachopening with the same or a different LC material. Accordingly, and as anexample, openings 124 and 130 may be filled with a first liquid crystalmaterial, openings 126 and 132 may be filled with a second liquidcrystal material, and openings 128 and 134 may be filled with a thirdliquid crystal material. Alternatively, and again using ink jettechnology, different types of liquid crystal material may be disposedinto the openings so as to create other optical effects. The liquidcrystal material may be one of the materials as described hereinabove.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated therein a view of a singleliquid crystal display picture element 140 from a display as illustratedin FIGS. 4 and 5. The picture element 140 includes first and secondelectrodes 142 and 144 corresponding to layers 106 and 108 respectively.Electrically insulating layers 110 and 112 are illustrated in FIG. 6 bylayers 146 and 148, upon which are disposed electrodes 150 and 152,corresponding to electrode layers 116 and 118. Electrodes 150 and 152are insulated from electrode 144 by the layer of dielectric material154, corresponding to layer 122. It is to be noted that layer 122 ofFIGS. 4 and 5, as well as layer 154 of FIG. 6 may provide numerous otherfunctions, all as described hereinabove. Disposed in via 156 is a layerof a liquid crystal material, again as described above.

In operation, the picture elements of the display illustrated in FIGS.4-6 may be switched from a transparent to an opaque state (or made toprovide another desired optical effect) by applying electrical signalsto the electrodes. This may be done in any manner known to those ofordinary skill in the art, or as described in, for example, commonlyassigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/996, filed onDec. 22, 1998, in the name of Zvi Yaniv and entitled “MULTIPOLE LIQUIDCRYSTAL DISPLAY” and U.S. application Ser. No. _/ , filed in the name ofZvi Yaniv, and entitled “MULTIPOLE LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY AND METHOD OFOPERATING SAME.”

Referring now to FIGS. 7-11 there is illustrated therein a series ofsteps for fabricating a display device in accordance with the instantinvention. FIG. 7 illustrates the step of providing a display substrate170 fabricated of a material such as those described hereinabove.Disposed on the substrate 170 is a layer of an electrically conductivematerial 172, again fabricated of a material as already described, suchas ITO. Referring now to FIG. 8, the layer of ITO has been patterned asby conventional photolithography, laser ablation or other acceptabletechnique, so as to form a series of electrically conductive pads 174,176, 178 and 180. The size and thickness of the conductive pads willdepend on the desired size, applications and resolution of the displaydevice, and are readily calculated by those of ordinary skill in theart.

Thereafter, and as illustrated in FIG. 9, a layer of a dielectricmaterial 182, fabricated of materials described above, is deposited atopthe substrate and conductive pads. The material may be deposited viaconventional techniques, and is typically deposited to a depth ofbetween 1 and 10 microns. Layer 182 is then patterned by, for example,conventional photolithography or laser ablation, so as to form one ormore openings or vias over the conductive pads. Accordingly, and as isillustrated in FIG. 10, openings 184, 186 and 188 are formed over pad174. Likewise, three openings are formed in FIG. 10 over each ofconductive pads 176 and 178. It is to be noted that the number and exactspacing and relationship of the openings to each other are not limitedto that shown in FIG. 10. Any number of openings may be provided, and indifferent spatial relationships to one another.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a second substrate 190, having a second layerof conductive material 192 disposed thereon, is positioned atoppatterned layer 182 so as to seal openings 184, 186 and 188. Prior tosealing the second substrate to the patterned layer, an amount of aliquid crystal material (not shown) is disposed into each of theopenings. Thereafter, as the second substrate is sealed to the patternedlayer, the liquid crystal material is permanently enclosed in theopenings. It is to be noted that an advantage of the instant displayconfiguration is that there is not need for the glass spacer devicescommonly employed in the display industry for assuring uniform spacingbetween the first and second substrates. This function is accomplishedby the patterned layer 182.

Each of the picture elements in a display such as that illustrated inFIG. 11 are defined by a conductive pad, associated liquid crystalfilled openings, and second substrate electrode. Accordingly, a singlepicture element in FIG. 11 is defined by conductive pad 174, liquidcrystal material filled openings 184, 186 and 188, and layer 192. Theoptical characteristic of the liquid crystal material disposed in eachof the openings may be switched from a first to a second optical stateby applying an electrical impulse to conductive pad 174, in a mannerwell known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited.Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions andequivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid crystal display device having aplurality of picture elements, said display comprising: a firstsubstrate having first and second major surfaces, and having at leastone electrode formed on one of said major surfaces; a layer of adielectric material disposed atop said first substrate and said at leastone electrode, said layer of dielectric material having a plurality ofopenings formed therein; at least one layer of a light influencingmaterial disposed in said openings; and a second substrate disposed atopsaid layer of dielectric material, and having at least one electrodeformed thereon; wherein at least two of said openings correspond to eachsaid picture element.
 2. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 1,wherein said first substrate is fabricated of a substantiallytransparent material selected from the group of materials consisting ofplastics, glasses and combinations thereof.
 3. A liquid crystal displaydevice as in claim 1, wherein said first substrate includes a pluralityof electrodes formed on said first major surface.
 4. A liquid crystaldisplay device as in claim 3, wherein a cross-over of an electrode onsaid first substrate and an electrode on said second substrate defines apicture element.
 5. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 3,wherein at least one opening is formed over each said electrode.
 6. Aliquid crystal display device as in claim 3, wherein a plurality ofopenings is formed over each said electrode.
 7. A liquid crystal displaydevice as in claim 1, wherein said layer of dielectric material isfabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of organicor inorganic polymers, polyimides, silicon oxides, silicon nitrides andcombinations thereof.
 8. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 1,wherein said layer of light influencing material further includes alayer of an alignment material.
 9. A liquid crystal display device as inclaim 8, wherein said layer of alignment material is selected from thegroup of materials consisting of organic or inorganic alignmentmaterials, polyimides, lecitin, polyvinylalcohol, silicon monoxide, andcombinations thereof.
 10. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 1,wherein said layer of light influencing material is a layer of materialadapted to impart a color to light passing therethrough.
 11. A liquidcrystal display device as in claim 10, wherein said layer of colorimparting material is selected from the group of materials consisting ofcolor inks, polyimide dyes, pigmented polyimides, and combinationsthereof.
 12. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 1, wherein saidlayer of light influencing material is a layer of liquid crystalmaterial.
 13. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 12, whereinsaid layer of liquid crystal material is selected from the group ofmaterials consisting of nematic, smectic, cholesteric, chiral nematic,chiral smectic, polymer dispersed liquid crystals, polymer stabilizedcholesteric texture, and combinations thereof.
 14. A liquid crystaldisplay device as in claim 1, wherein said second substrate isfabricated of a substantially transparent material selected from thegroup of materials consisting of plastics, glasses and combinationsthereof.
 15. A liquid crystal display device as in claim 1, wherein aplurality of different materials are used to fill said openings.
 16. Aliquid crystal display device as in claim 1, wherein said device is areflective display device.
 17. A liquid crystal display device as inclaim 1, wherein said display is an active matrix display device.
 18. Aliquid crystal display device as in claim 1, wherein said secondsubstrate is fabricated of a non-glass material.
 19. A method offabricating a liquid crystal display device having a plurality ofpicture elements, said method comprising the steps of: providing asubstantially transparent substrate having at least one electrode formedon a surface thereof; disposing a layer of a dielectric material on saidsubstantially transparent substrate and said at least one electrode; foreach said picture element, forming at least two openings through saidlayer of dielectric material; disposing a layer of a light influencingmaterial in each said opening; and providing a second substrate atopsaid layer of dielectric material.
 20. A method as in claim 19, whereinthe step of providing a substantially transparent substrate includes afurther step of selecting said substantially transparent substrate fromthe group of materials consisting of plastics, glasses and combinationsthereof.
 21. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step of providing anelectrode includes a further step of providing a plurality of electrodesformed on a first major surface.
 22. A method as in claim 19, whereinthe step of providing said layer of dielectric material includes afurther step of fabricating said layer of a material selected from thegroup consisting of organic or inorganic polymers, polyimides, siliconoxides, silicon nitrides and combinations thereof.
 23. A method as inclaim 19, including a further step of forming at least one opening overeach said electrode.
 24. A method as in claim 19, including a furtherstep of forming at least a plurality of openings is formed over eachsaid electrode.
 25. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step ofproviding a layer of light influencing material includes a further stepof providing a layer of an alignment material with said lightinfluencing material.
 26. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step ofproviding a layer of light influencing material includes a further stepof providing a layer of material adapted to impart a color to lightpassing therethrough.
 27. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step ofproviding a layer of light influencing material comprises a further stepof providing said layer as a layer of liquid crystal material.
 28. Amethod as in claim 27, wherein said layer of liquid crystal material isselected from the group of materials consisting of nematic, smectic,cholesteric, chiral nematic, chiral smectic, polymer dispersed liquidcrystals, polymer stabilized cholesteric texture, and combinationsthereof.
 29. A method as in claim 19, including a further step ofproviding a plurality of different materials to fill said openings. 30.A method as in claim 19, wherein each said electrode defines a pictureelement.
 31. A method as in claim 19, wherein said openings are formedby laser.
 32. A method as in claim 19, wherein said openings are formedby a chemical treatment.